Emerging Choreographers Showcase
Emerging choreographers debut 10 original works at this year’s showcase presented by the Esperanza Dance Project. The program also includes a performance of the group’s classic repertoire, “House of Hope,” and an exhibit of works by local visual artists. Esperanza Dance Project is a local nonprofit that works to empower survivors of childhood sexual trauma and help them find hope and healing through artistic expression.
7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, SAACA’s Catalyst Arts and Maker Space, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 110, esperanzadanceproject.org, $17 suggested donation
Family Earth Day Festival
Families discover ways to help make the world a healthier place to live as they explore exhibits, activities and hands-on experiences that reveal surprising aspects of our environment. Demonstrations are designed to inspire a new generation of climate-conscious families who can make sustainability a priority.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Avenue, childrensmuseumtucson.org/earth-day, free
Pima Theatre: “Proof”
Mathematics is always just behind the curtain in this story touching on mental health, aging and caregiving. Following the death of a prominent mathematician, his daughter is accused of appropriating credit for an important new proof. But might the work actually be hers? ASL is provided for the performance on Friday, April 21.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, to Saturday, April 22 and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 23, Pima Community College, West Campus, Center for the Arts, Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road, pima.edu/cfa, tickets start at $10
Tucson Poetry Festival: “Poetry & Presence”
April is national poetry month, and on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, The Tucson Poetry Festival will celebrate its 40th year. This year’s featured poets and workshop leaders include Laura Tohe, Farid Matuk, Joni Wallace, Sarah Kortemeier and youth poet Jesse Begay. Their bios are on the Tucson Poetry Festival Facebook page. Saturday’s schedule begins workshops and a reception at the UA followed by an evening of readings at the Temple of Music and Art. Sunday afternoon features an open mic at LaCo. Find times, workshop topics and venue information on the website.
Tucson Poetry Festival, various locations, tucsonpoetryfest.org, free
Celebrate Earth Day Among the Pollinators
Suzie Daigeneault’s Triangle L Pollinator Project hosts a day for exploring, learning about sustainable practices and taking home ideas about being good neighbors to our native habitat. Experts guide Q&A sessions, presentations and nature walks. Visitors can create a clay tile with a pressed image of local pollinator botanicals. The Borderlands Restoration Network hosts a plant sale on site, and Native Seeds/SEARCH will deliver online orders to you there.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Triangle L Ranch, 2805 N. Triangle L Ranch Road, Oracle, trianglelranch.com/pollinator-project, $10 suggested donation
Scoundrel & Scamp: “One Twig at a Time”
Playwright Wolfe Bowart is uniquely conscious of the space around his characters and the objects in his script. The result allows directors to create new dimensions onstage, maximizing the play’s inherent comic potential. This production of “One Twig at a Time” is chock full of funny business, including puppets, time dashes, abstract sketches, dreams, magic realism, the “vacuum of space” and imagination, manifest.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, April 30, The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre, Historic YWCA, 738 N. Fifth Avenue, Suite 131, scoundrelandscamp.org/one-twig, $30, $15 students and teachers
Cirque Italia: “Water Circus”
It’s a water circus! It’s a pirate show! It’s an AI monster display! If you’ve been bored with circuses since you were a kid, Cirque Italia may update you on the fun of lights, magic, laughter and screaming. The aerial choreography and acrobatics are breathtaking. One aerial artist performs on a giant wheel-like armature attached to an overhead apparatus that looks like it could bring the whole tent down. Fans of Flam Chen will probably love this show. We understand the lines can be long, though, so reservations are advised.
Various times through Sunday, April 23, Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 128, Tucson, silver.cirqueitalia.com/events, tickets start at $25 adult, $10 for kids
“Soul’d Out Sunday”
The D-NC Band featuring LEXA heads up the April edition of this event, hosted on the fourth Sunday of every month by Strictly Grown Folks. The entertainment also features DJ Smokin’ Gene and spoken word by Andar Tha God. Outside, find food for the soul at Off the Hook Seafood and Sticky Fingerz Soul Food Kitchen.
6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, April 23, Chicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway Boulevard, chicagobar-tucson.com, $10 admission
Kaitlin Butts with Mamma Coal
Fresh from her Grand Ole Opry debut, Kaitlin Butts stops by on tour behind her new record, “Sad YeeHaw Sessions.” Butts has a gift for bringing country characters to life and grounding their unique realities, but her women break the mold of traditional country music stereotypes. They own their troubles and celebrate their own triumphs over them. Her first album asked, “What Else Can She Do?” and revealed the answer to be, “plenty.” Players like long-time Tucson favorite, Mamma Coal, have helped show the way.
7 p.m. Thursday April 27, The Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road, tucsonmaverick.ticketspice.com, $12
Sean Kenney’s “Nature Pop”
Forty-plus sculptures, comprising more than 800,000 Lego pieces, interrupt, with bright color and whimsy, the otherwise relentless serenity and loveliness of the gardens. “Nature Pop” underscores the joy of spring, and the garden’s lush blooms hold their own. Kenney has said that the Pop-Art movement that flourished in the 1960s informs the bold colors in this. The mechanics of the sculptures carry the message that humankind is similarly interlocked with, and dependent on, the natural world. The installations are accompanied by interpretive signage illuminating their relationships with the natural world.
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through Sunday, May 14, Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, tucsonbotanical.org, $15
